[amandawash]

Originally Posted by Breeze

I would look for a harder wood for less damage to show. We have handscraped maple in our less than two year old home and floors are pretty scratched up from all the pet nails already.

This site talks about the hardness scales.

Wood Floor Relative Hardness Table-Janka Hardness Table-Wood Floor Hardness~How Hard is my Wood Floors

Originally Posted by Breeze

Just want to add- Make sure the installers acclimatize the wood for at least a couple of weeks first in your home where the wood will be laid. Otherwise you may get buckling boards or large gaps overtime, also make sure you have a humidifer.

Some installers will try to say that the acclimatizing of the wood is not necessary, please insist. The builder put in our floors without installing them properly and we have huge gaps in spots all over the place. Wrong installation can also void your warranty so make sure if you use a company that know what they are doing.

Oh thanks so much for that website!!

Also, if you purchase the floors through Home Depot/Lowes and have them installed through them, I would imagine everything would be covered by warranty? I guess these are all good questions to ask and thank you thank you!!!